Saturn+-+OF


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The planet Saturn... This gas giant is the sixth planet from the sun. It was named after the Roman god of agriculture. Saturn was called Cronos by the Greeks. His father is Uranus, and his son is Jupiter. Saturn overthrew Uranus with a hope to become king of the gods. However, Saturn was then overthrew by his own son, Jupiter. The famous astronomer, Gallileo, was the the first to observe/see Saturn's rings. A 100lb object on Earth would weigh a wopping 116lbs on Saturn! Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. Saturn has no solid surfaces, but does have a solid inner core. One revolution of the planet Saturn around our sun takes about 29.46 Earth years! That's almost 1/3 of a century! The planet Saturn is made up of only gaseous materials. Even though Saturn is so massive, it still has the lowest density of all the planets in our solar system! This giant is so light that it could actually float in an ocean! Well, if there was ever an ocean big enough to hold Saturn! Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is the only of Saturn's moons that contains an atmosphere. Saturn's atmosphere is mostly made up of Hydrogen and Helium. Finally, Saturn's magnificent rings are made up of billions of pieces/particles of rock and dust that was gathered from the vastness of space.
 * The History and General Facts of Saturn:**

Saturn's rings are arranged into 5 major sections. These are the G, F, A, B, and C rings (from outer rings to inner rings.) Rings G and F are thin and difficult to spot/see. In contrast, the A, B, and C rings are broad and easilly visible. The large gap between the A and B rings is called the //Cassini division.// But these 5 sections are called then divided again into many individual ringlets. All of the rings of Saturn, regardless of size, all have the same composition. They are all made up of billions of tiny ice and rock chunks/particles. Saturn is most well known for its wonderous rings, but it is not the only planet in our solar system that has rings. Like Saturn:, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune too have rings. Saturn rings are frequently awed at by sociey and astronomers alike. These magnifiscent rings are also colossal! They are 169,800 miles wide (about 273,266 kilometers wide! But actually, these rings are very thin. If you rotated the rings horozontily, you would see that the rings could fit in between the goal posts on a football field. These beautiful rings are held in place by the moons that revolve around the planet. These moons also contribute to the small spaces that are visible in between the rings. Saturn has more moons than any other planet, 62 currently, and counting. Of these 62 moons, 53 are classified officially as moons, 9 are provisional (unofficial) moons. **Saturn has 53 official moons and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons.**The most well-known of Saturn's moons is probably Titan. It is the second largest moon in the Solar System next to Jupiter's Ganymede. Titan is larger than the planet Mercury. Some of the other moons are Atlas, Calypso, Dione, Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Janus, Mimas, Phoebe, and Tethys. Although most of Saturn's moons are small, a few such as Titan are very large. Many of Saturn's moons orbit around the edge of the planet's rings. They help to keep the rings in place, just as a shepherd keeps sheep in place. For this reason we call these moons Shepherd Moons.
 * Saturn's Rings:**
 * Saturn's Moons:**

Visuals Make sure to include the location of your images; add a caption with this information. Click in the table to paste a picture you have copied from one of the resource sites. Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun. Image from: [|www.nasa.gov] || The image to the right is a rare view of Saturn's rings seen just after the Sun has set below the ring plane, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 21, 1995. This perspective is unusual because the Earth is slightly above and the Sun slightly below the rings. Normally we see the rings fully illuminated by the Sun. Caption and Image from: [] || Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system, but Jupiter is the largest Image from: [|www.nasa.gov] || Caption and Image from: [] || **Saturn and Its Rings** Caption and Image from: [] Saturn was first visited by NASA's [|Pioneer 11] in 1979 and later by [|Voyager 1] and [|Voyager 2]. [|Cassini](a joint NASA / ESA project) arrived on July 1, 2004. ||  || Caption and Image from: [] ||>  || The Symbol of the Panet Saturn Image from: [] ||
 * ~ Saturn ||~ **Saturn seen on Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 21, 1955!** ||~ **Second Largest Planet** ||
 * [[image:http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/301091main_Saturn_1-xltn.jpg width="236" height="218" align="bottom" caption="The planet Saturn and its rings"]]
 * == Titan, the Largest Moon of Saturn ==
 * The following image shows a montage of 15 of Saturn's satellites (the current known number is 19). These range in size from Titan, the second largest moon in the Solar System (Ganymede is the largest), to small asteroid-like objects.


 * Works Cited**

**Sources** : Include the source information for all of the magazine articles, reference sources (encyclopedias) and web site pages that were used to complete your project. The source information for encyclopedias may be found at the end or beginning of each entry in iCONN. When using periodicals, the publication information will be at the beginning or end of the article. This needs to be formatted for MLA standards. If it is not labeled 'Source Citation' it can be formatted appropriately by using EasyBib.com. You should use EasyBib for the web sites. The final Works Cited should be listed in alphabetical order by the first word of the source citation. "Milky Way." //Kids InfoBits Presents: Astronomy//. Gale, 2008. Reproduced in Kids InfoBits. Detroit: Gale, 2012. "The Milky Way." //WMAP's Universe//. NASA, 28 June 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. . Vergano, Dan. "Galaxy Bracketed by Big Bubbles." //USA Today// 10 Nov. 2010: 05A. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
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**1.)Home Website:**[] **Section within website above that is used throughout this page for notes and written work:**  **[]**  **2.)Home Website:**[|http://www.KidsAstronomy.com] **Section within website above that is used throughout this page for notes and written work:** [] **3.)Home Website:**[] **Sections within website above that are used throughout this page for notes and written work:**  **4.)Home Website:** []
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**Topic/Research:**
 * What is this page's topic?:** Saturn
 * What parts of Saturn does this page talk about?:** **General Facts about Saturn**, **Saturn's Rings**, **and** **Saturn's Moons.**

**This is a very reliable source with facts and images from trustworthy websites that are listed above.**

**Notes** ==== Include notes, statistics and facts that you will use to write your final paper. You may want to label sections of your notes to help you be more organized as you write. As you take notes from a source, you should list the source citation in the **Works Cited** section above. ====

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 * ====A 100 pound object on Earth would weight 116 pounds on Saturn.====
 * Saturn has the lowest density of all the planets in the solar system. It is so light that it could actually float on water if there was an ocean big enough to hold it.
 * It takes about 29.46 Earth years for Saturn to orbit around our sun.
 * Saturn's rings are made up of billions of pieces of rocks and dust.
 * Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system
 * Has no solid surfaces
 * Saturn is made up of only gaseous materials
 * It has a solid inner core
 * Its' atmosphere is composed mostly of Hydrogen and Helium
 * Galileo was the first astronomer to observe Saturn's rings
 * Titan is the only of Saturn's moons that has an atmosphere

1. []
 * Home Website:**[|http://www.KidsAstronomy.com]
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 * Saturn means: Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture. He was called Cronos by the Greeks. He is the son of Uranus and the father of Jupiter. Saturn overthrew his father to become king of the gods, but was then overthrown himself by his son Jupiter.

**Saturn's Rings:**

1. [] Saturn's ring system is divided into 5 major sections, the G, F, A, B, and C rings, (listed from outside to inside.) The G and F rings are thin and difficult to see. While the A, B, and C rings are broad and easily visible. The large gap between the A ring and and the B ring is called the //Cassini division.//These 5 major sections are actually subdivided into thousands of individual ringlets. The rings of Saturn are made up of millions of tiny ice particles, and rock chunks / particles.
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1. [] The Rings Saturn is most well-known for its rings. However, it is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings. Saturn is a favorite object for many observers. Its beautiful rings are 169,800 miles wide (approx 273,266 km). But the rings are amazingly thin. If you turned the rings on their side, they would be able to fit between the goal posts on a football field. The rings are split into categories, Ring A, Ring B, Ring C, Ring D, Ring E, Ring F and Ring G, totaling 7 in all. The rings are not solid but rather are made up of particles of ice, dust and rocks. The rings are held in place around Saturn by the moons that also orbit this large planet. The gravity of these moons also cause the gaps that are seen in between the rings.
 * Home Website:**[|http://www.KidsAstronomy.com]
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**Saturn's Moons:**

**Home Website:** [|http://www.KidsAstronomy.com] 1. [] Moons: Of all the planets, Saturn reigns supreme, well at least in the moon department. That is because Saturn has more moons than any other planet, 62 currently, and counting. Of these 62 moons, 53 are classified officially as moons, 9 are provisional (unofficial) moons. We'll talk about a few of the moons below**.(see chart below)** **Saturn has 53 official moons and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons.**The most well-known of Saturn's moons is probably Titan. It is the second largest moon in the Solar System next to Jupiter's Ganymede. Titan is larger than the planet Mercury. Some of the other moons are Atlas, Calypso, Dione, Enceladus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Janus, Mimas, Phoebe, and Tethys. Although most of Saturn's moons are small, a few such as Titan are very large. Many of Saturn's moons orbit around the edge of the planet's rings. They help to keep the rings in place, just as a shepherd keeps sheep in place. For this reason we call these moons Shepherd Moons.
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 * Pan

Pan is the closest known moon to Saturn's surface. It was discovered by Mark R. Showalter in 1990, by looking at pictures sent back from Voyager. Because Pan is very small and so far away, there is not much we know about it. This moon was named after the god of woods, fields and flocks, having a human body and head, and goat legs, horns and ears. Caption and picture for this and all the below is from: [] ||  ||
 * Atlas

Atlas is the second of Saturn's moons. Discovered in 1980 by R. Terrile, it orbits Saturn just to the side of the A Ring. This makes Atlas a shepherd moon. Atlas was also known by the name Hercules in mythology. ||  ||
 * Prometheus

Prometheus, which was discovered by S. Collins and others in 1980, is the inner shepherd satellite of Saturn's F ring. Prometheus was named after a man who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humankind in Greek mythology. It is the third closest moon to the surface of Saturn. ||  || The outer shepherd moon of the F Ring is named Pandora. This small moon was discovered in 1980 by S. Collins. The name Pandora comes from Greek mythology. She was the first woman sent to Earth by Jupiter as a punishment for Prometheus' theft of fire. According to the story, Jupiter sent her to Earth with a box of all the problems and sicknesses of life. She opened the box out of curiosity, releasing all these ills on humankind. ||  ||   ||
 * Pandora

1. [] The following image shows a montage of 15 of Saturn's satellites (the current known number is 19). These range in size from Titan, the second largest moon in the Solar System (Ganymede is the largest), to small asteroid-like objects. The atmosphere of Titan has several layers of haze. It has a pressure at the surface of 1.6 times that of Earth, and is made up primarily of nitrogen, with about a 1% concentration of methane. The temperature on the surface is very cold, about -180 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere is extremely opaque because of thick smog that appears to result from sunlight interacting with hydrocarbons, much as smog forms on the Earth. The clouds are probably composed of liquid nitrogen and methane drops, and it is speculated that Titan may be coverered with hydrocarbon lakes or oceans (specifically, methane and ethane). Although many of the organic chemicals thought to have been the precursors to life on Earth are present on Titan, it appears to be too cold for life as we know it to have evolved there. Other moons of Saturn include Mimas, which has an impact crater 1/4 the diameter of the moon, Enceladus, which may be geologically active because of tidal heating by Saturn, Tethys, which has a large flattened crater that is 1/2 the diameter of the moon and a very large canyon, and Dione, which is heavily cratered with ray structures associated with some craters. Two small moons have been found to share Tethys's orbit, and one small moon shares Dione's orbit. This sharing of orbits had not been seen before the detailed investigation of Saturns system. Hyperion rotates chaotically because of the influence of Titan's gravity and a highly eccentric orbit. The outermost satellite, Phoebe, may be a captured asteroid.
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Saturn's other Moons
Saturn's other moons have icy surfaces that are very cold so that ice is as rigid as rock and craters form from meteor impacts. The mean densities of these moons are 1.0 to 1.5 g/cc, implying that they are probably mostly ice, though they may have some rocky consituents. Most of Saturns satellites (as for those of Jupiter) are tidally locked and keep the same face turned toward the planet as they orbit.

**Saturn has 31 known moons. (This is in contrast to the fact noted above which states that Saturn has 62 moons in total; maybe this means that it is difficult for scientists to agree on this particular topic.)**, and 9 provisional (unofficial) moons. Titan is Saturn's largest moon. Titan has a very thick atmosphere which is mostlynitrogen. Earth's atmosphere is also mostly nitrogen. Saturn also has many icy moons like Mimas which has a large crater that is 1/4 the diameter of the moon, and Enceladus which has very dark material covering one side and very bright material on the other side. Some of Saturn's smaller moons help keep Saturn's rings stable by orbiting in or near the rings. These moons are called "shepherd moons" and use their gravity to keep the small ring particles in a stable orbit. Some of the gaps in Saturn's rings are caused by these moons.
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